WASHINGTON – The US and South Korea are willing to engage diplomatically with North Korea, President Joe Biden said Friday.

Speaking at a press briefing with his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, at the White House, Biden said during their meeting they spoke about a shared approach to North Korea and its continuing threat of nuclear and missile programs.

The American president said both leaders “made important progress” on a range of issues.

“My team consulted closely with President Moon’s team throughout the process of our DPRK [Democratic People Republic of Korea] review, And we both are deeply concerned about the situation.

“Our two nations also share a willingness to engage diplomatically with the DPRK to take pragmatic steps that will reduce tensions, as we move toward our ultimate goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” said Biden.

He also announced that Ambassador Sung Y. Kim will serve as special envoy for North Korea.

Kim is the senior official for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, according to State Department. From 2011 to 2014, he was US Ambassador to South Korea.